Moses’ Story: Desert Training

Exodus 2:11-22

Personal Note: Thank you for joining us in this study of God’s story in God’s people. As we look at Moses’ life, we are reminded again that God never wastes our time. If you have any questions, please send them to our answer team. We’d love to interact. If you want us to pray for you, that would be a privilege. Also, if you have an “owning your faith” story or a “God never wastes our time” story, please share it so others can be encouraged by how God continues writing his story today. 

The Ten Signposts of Scripture
CAMDE—400—CALY
Creation. Abraham. Moses. David. Elijah. 400. Christ. Apostles. Letters. Yet-to Come.

Here’s where we are so far in our journey together:

CREATION                               ABRAHAM                              MOSES
Adam and Eve                       Abraham and Sarah             Israel Enslaved
Cain and Abel                        Lot                                          Moses Rescued
Noah and the flood               Isaac and Rebekah
Lamech and Enoch               Jacob, Rachel, and Leah                     
Tower of Babel                       Joseph            

When God chooses us, he also prepares us… in his way and in his timing. God chose Moses to deliver Israel from Egypt. However, it took eighty years of preparation before God knew Moses was ready for the task and that the timing was right. 

God has great things in store for you. Just remember, never shortcut God’s plan or timing. Moses tried a shortcut, but it failed.

As an infant, Moses was rescued from the Nile by Pharaoh’s daughter, who raised him as her son in the palace. With the best of everything—food, clothing, and training—Moses “was educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians and was powerful in speech and action” (Acts 7:22 NIV). Isn’t it remarkable that the New Testament offers further details about Moses’ life? Scripture should be our primary source for insight into Scripture.

From Exodus 2:10 to Exodus 2:11, four decades pass. Moses is now forty years old. He is immersed in Egyptian culture, yet God sovereignly plants in his heart a desire to identify with his fellow Israelites and to help those mistreated. 

One day, Moses saw an Egyptian beating a Hebrew. His passion to help one of his own took hold. He killed the Egyptian and buried the body in the sand. No one saw what Moses had done, or so he thought. Moses believed “that his own people would realize that God was using him to rescue them, but they did not” (Acts 7:25 NIV).

As he grew up, Moses heard the story of his miraculous rescue, likely from his adoptive mother. He would also have witnessed God’s protection firsthand, as the number of Hebrew females in his age group would noticeably outnumber the males because of the pharaoh’s actions. His privileged position had a purpose. The desire to help his people was part of who he was. Unfortunately, Moses allowed his emotions to take over as he dispensed the justice he believed was deserved.

Of course, his efforts backfired. 

The very next day, he went out again and tried to break up a fight between two Hebrews. One of them said, “Who made you a prince and a judge over us? Do you mean to kill me as you killed the Egyptian?” (Ex. 2:14). The irony was that God did have plans to make Moses a ruler and judge over Israel! Just not yet. 

Moses’ passion for defending the wronged turned into a fearful panic. He was sure Pharaoh would hear of what he had done and put him to death, so he fled, running for his life. He traveled three hundred miles, a journey that would have taken about three weeks, before finally stopping in Midian (present-day Saudi Arabia).  

Don’t miss the contrast in Moses’ circumstances. He went from enjoying the best Egypt had to offer to seeking refuge in a dry, barren desert. From community to solitude. From the center of the world to the middle of nowhere. From the Egyptian universities to God’s University.

Moses left Egypt when he was forty. God used the next four decades to prepare him for his life’s work. We are often in a hurry, but God isn’t. Moses was on the run. Now it’s time for him to wait on God. 

When Moses arrived in Midian, he sat by a well, and soon seven daughters of a priest named Reuel came to draw water. When the women were driven away by bullying shepherds, Moses “stood up and saved [the daughters] and watered their flock” (Ex. 2:17). 

I imagine Moses pausing, contemplating the irony of it all. Once raised in a palace, once stirred by visions of justice—now he was protecting a set of sisters at a well. This wasn’t a nation. This couldn’t be the grand calling he had thought awaited him. And yet, a rescuer doesn’t stop being a rescuer. His heart was moved to act because it was the right thing to do.

Maybe you have doubts about what God has called you to do. That doesn’t mean you have to put your passions on hold. Express them in the ways God provides… and pursue them as he directs. Even if no one else sees, the One who matters always does. 

Moses was invited to stay with Reuel, and the Midianite priest gave him one of his daughters in marriage. Moses married Zipporah (“little bird”), and they had two sons. 

The first son was named Gershom, meaning “to be an alien.” Moses said, “I have been a sojourner in a foreign land” (Ex. 2:22). Their second son was named Eliezer, meaning “my God is my helper.” Moses acknowledged, “The God of my father was my help, and delivered me from the sword of Pharaoh” (Ex. 18:4). 

Moses knew he was a sojourner. Midian was not a place to settle; it was a stopover. Living in a foreign land underscored his dependence on his personal God, Elohim, the Creator of heaven and earth. 

PERSONAL TIME WITH GOD
Read and reflect on Exodus 2:11-22:  Where might you be running ahead of God’s timing? What would it look like to surrender your passions to his plans?

Talking to God: Ask God to help you wait on him, trusting that he is in control.

Have questions? Please send your questions to our team. We're happy to assist as we explore God's Word together. Submit your question below, and we'll respond soon. If you're interested in learning more about a relationship with Jesus or seeking spiritual guidance, let us help you take the next step. 

SAVE THE DATE: Bible Immersion trip to Israel: November 4-14, 2026.

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